Airlines are known to charge a hefty amount of money during festive seasons. For selecting seats of your choice while booking the tickets you have to pay an extra sum. Now, you will have to pay a little more money if you need to get your bags checked-in at Indira Gandhi International Airport.
Times of India reported that while passenger frisking and hand bag checks are done by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel, check-in baggage comes under the supervision of airport operators.
Delhi International Airport (DIAL), from February 1, will charge X-ray baggage fees ranging from Rs 110 to Rs 880 for domestic and $149.33 to $209.55 for international flights.
Photo: BCCL
The X-ray baggage fee will mainly be charged from the airlines but it will get passed onto the passengers. So, it means that a domestic flyer will have to pay Rs 5 while an international flyer can end up paying Rs 50 for the scanning process.
This decision was taken after airport operators paid Rs 120 crore to the government as passenger security fee that flyers pay. The money was used to buy baggage screening equipment. The Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) later sought details from DIAL regarding the purchase of baggage screening equipment that was bought using the Passenger Service Fee (PSF) and DIAL¡¯s own funds.
Photo: BCCL
TOI further reported that as per an AERA order DIAL on October 24, 2018, had submitted that it had procured assets relating to baggage screening equipment worth Rs 119.66 crore from PSF and Rs 2.23 crore from DIAL¡¯s own fund.
AERA later reiterated that DIAL will be allowed to charge X-Ray baggage charges only after it remits the amount spent from PSF. Once PSF was remitted, DIAL was allowed to charge the fees.